Welcome to Karen Greenfield’s Body Makeover Challenge, Week Two. We’re pleased to say that Karen’s already lost five pounds and two inches off her waist!
This morning (Monday) I stepped on the scales and cannot believe that I have lost five pounds in just one week – without starving myself. I’ve eaten three very sensible meals each day, haven’t felt hungry all week, my moods have been quite stable and have managed to lose the equivalent of two bags of sugar. I have also lost two inches from my waist and three inches off my tummy, although I have to say I did feel very bloated when I first took my measurements before I started, but after just one week of no sugar or alcohol and low GI carbs I feel much less ‘puffy’.
I am very aware that you always lose more weight in the first week but this is just the incentive I need to stick with it. I have never cut sugar out during any of my previous diets and have always felt hungry. In fact I was a bit worried I wouldn’t lose any weight because I have been eating so well and not felt hungry at all. Charlotte said that this weight loss would be down to losing retained fluid due to the fact I had cut out foods I may have been intolerant to. Whatever it is, I’m happy.
My energy levels for the first half of the week were very low and I have felt very cold every day. The weather has been awful this week too which hasn’t helped.
For the first half of this week I was also having real problems with sleeping, waking up at about 1am and also 3am and not being able to get back to sleep. I also had cystitis like symptoms throughout the night. (I suffer from recurring urinary tract infections and would normally take an antibiotic at the first sign of any symptoms). I emailed Charlotte and she said that this was a common problem to start with in those of us who tend to show stress in sleep issues, and added that night-time is when we do most of our detoxification and immune rebuilding – detox is highest around 1am-3am. Frequent urination is a clear-out via your kidneys and very possibly the loss of retained fluid that’s been showing up as puffiness, so it’s a good thing but can disrupt sleep. She said not to worry, it’s all quite usual. Charlotte also advised that my kidneys and urinary tract needed some help. She said that the probiotics were a really important part of this (especially after taking antibiotics) and also recommended a kidney cleanse tea which would help support the process my body has started and that Uva Ursi (a type of plant that helps ease urinary tract infections) in particular helps to eliminate the bacteria in the urethra that are associated with cystitis. She said it was good to get off the antibiotic cycle with the kidney and UTI issues.
Here is the Kidney cleanse tea recipe (I bought the herbs online from Neal’s Yard). It should ideally be drank throughout the day for a month, before a liver cleanse, or own its own, but this can also be drunk whenever you feel you need a cleanse.
Ingredients for Kidney cleanse tea
Uva Ursi Leaves, Alfalfa Leaf Powder, (a herb used for kidney and bladder conditions which increases urine flow), Celery Seed
, (acts as a diuretic), Corn Silk, (used to treat bladder infections), Marshmallow, Dandelion Root and/or leaf, ( is rich in antioxidants, fights inflammation, and promotes digestion), Plaintain and Nettle.
Charlotte said it’s pretty ‘woody’ tasting and I have to agree, but you can feel it helping. I may lose more fluid as it has a pretty diuretic action. I should eat lots of parsley too, she says. I will let you know how this goes next week.
Last week I promised I would let you know about the supplements Charlotte advised I take. One of them was Magnesium which apparently almost everyone is deficient in. It is great for calming the body and helping you to sleep. I ordered Lamberts MagAsorb 
and have been taking two with my evening meal. I’m not sure if the detox effects are disappearing or the magnesium is kicking in but for the past three nights I have slept really well. Charlotte also advised that I continue with my BioCare probiotics, and Pharma Nord CoQ10 but also take Lambert’s L-THEANINE, two in the morning and two in the evening as this will support and calm my nervous system, aid sleep and will make me less reactive.
EXERCISE:
Now for my new exercise schedule from my trainer Charlene – it looks like this:
Monday – Charlene’s Strength Training Routine (I will tell you all about this next week) and a long country walk with my dogs.
Tuesday – Morning walk (45 mins) and two evening yoga classes with Charlotte.
Wednesday – Country walk and rest/restorative yoga
Thursday – Charlene’s Full Body Conditioning Workout and long country walk
Friday – Strength Training, morning walk and then The De-Stress Effect case study group in the evening
Saturday – Long country walk (approx one hour) over hilly terrain.
Sunday – 1.5 hour yoga class with Charlotte, then good rest for the day….
So far, I have been following this schedule since Wednesday and best week will tell you day by day what I managed to do. I have managed to stick to this so far though I had intended to walk to work everyday and so far haven’t managed. But I am now walking my dogs every evening to make up for this! I need to aim to do 12,500 steps a day minimum five or six times a week…need to buy a pedometer!
FOOD:
Regarding food this week, it hasn’t been as difficult as I originally thought. I have re-discovered my slow cooker following Charlotte’s advice about making stews, and have been experimenting this week with slow cook recipes including Vietnamese Lamb Shanks which my husband described as ‘interesting.’ My daughter and I thought they were nice but I’m not sure I would do them again though.
Morning: Hot water with lemon followed by scrambled eggs with rye bread and tomato, spinach or cucumber and a homemade latte after breakfast.
Lunch: Prawns cooked with coconut oil and chilli with lettuce and cucumber
Dinner: Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille with Lamb Steaks
Snacks: Mixed nuts and seeds or sunflower seed butter (so high in magnesium!) on an oatcake.
Drinks: Water and herbal tea throughout the day.
Here’s a table to show karen’s progress between the first and second week…
Charlotte Watts is a nutritionist and yoga teacher whose work has focused on how nutrition and yoga can meet to help people cope with the demands we face in the 21st century. Her practice and teaching of mindfulness weaves these together and has culminated in her new book The De-Stress Effect: Rebalance Your Body’s Systems for Vibrant Health and Happiness
. She has also authored The De-Stress Diet (with Anna Magee) and 100 Best Foods for Pregnancy and 100 Foods to Stay Young. Find out more at charlottewattshealth.com. Charlotte is also Healthista’s Calmista blogger. Follow Charlotte @cwnutritionyoga
Charlene Hutsebaut B.P.E, B.Ed, CSCS is a personal trainer, pilates instructor, brand ambassador, speaker and writer with over 15,000 client hours and 22 years of experience in the fitness industry. Charlene runs her Personal Training Consultancy in London at the exclusive St. Pancras Hotel Spa and is a sought after inspirational corporate wellness speaker. She has a regular fitness column in Total Sports Performancemagazine as well as for Passport – the inflight magazine for Monarch Airlines and has written for Bodyfit, Prima, FitPro, Fitness Life New Zealand and has been featured in London, Fabric, Grove, Woman, Natural Healthmagazines, as well as The Daily Mail and Express. To find out more about Charlene, please visit her website. Follow charlene @positivelyslim.
Check out our previous Body Makeover Challenges…
BODY MAKEOVER CHALLENGE 1: Charmian Walker Smith
BODY MAKEOVER CHALLENGE 2: Caroline Williams
BODY MAKEOVER CHALLENGE 3: Thelma Mensah
BODY MAKEOVER CHALLENGE 4: Anastasia
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